The sport of competitive fishing has experienced a large amount of growth in recent years. An increased number of people are competing in fishing tournaments and an increased number of fans are watching the tournaments. Subsequently, corporations and other sponsors are investing more into the fishing tournaments. As the tournaments continue to grow, the prize money from the tournaments grows as well. The goal of the tournaments is to catch a predetermined maximum number of fish of the largest size. The fisherman can catch as many fish as the fisherman wants but can only keep the predetermined maximum number of fish in the boat at a time. As the fisherman continues to fish, the fisherman catches more fish which are then compared to the previously caught fish. Subsequently, the smallest fish are released and the largest fish are kept. At the conclusion of the tournament, the fisherman typically transports his catch to a tournament scale where the fish are officially measured. Generally, the tournament limit on scored fish is seven. However, in some fishing tournaments the limit can be more than seven or less than seven, with five being a relatively common number.
When a fish is caught by the fisherman, the fisherman measures the fish on a scale or with a measuring tape and places a tag on the fish to code the fish for future reference. The fisherman then places the fish in a live well or other similar container. The fisherman also records the information of the tag number and the size of the fish onto a recording device. When the fisherman fills all of his tags, the fisherman can subsequently catch more fish, quickly reference the size and weight of the fish, and retrieve the fish from the live well. If the fisherman has caught a larger fish than one of the fish in the live well, the fisherman can release the smaller fish from the well and tag the new fish.
The problems encountered by prior fish measurement recording inventions stem from the atmosphere of the fishing tournament. Fishing tournaments are routinely conducted in bad weather and on rocking boats. These conditions lead to difficulty recording fish measurements. A typical system involves erasable marker and a tabulation board on which the fisherman writes. One problem is that erasable marker washes off when it gets wet. Furthermore, another popular system comprises a peg and board system but the problem with this system is that the pegs fall out of the board if the board is not kept flat on a flat surface. Additionally, these systems can fall into the water and sink or be damaged by the water.
Accordingly, several inventions have attempted to resolve the difficulties of the prior art. Difficulties of the previous inventions include, but are not limited to, inventions that are not able to retain a measurement in inclement fishing conditions or inventions that are not easily used in a boat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,752 to Holloway is directed to a tabulation pegboard for use during a fishing competition. The invention uses a pegboard with pins or pegs that are inserted into holes that are placed in the pegboard. The holes in the pegboard are labeled with numbers in order to associate a fish in a live well with a series of rows of holes to gather measurements for more than one fish. The problem with these boards is that when the fisherman moves the board or picks up the board and places it in a vertical position the pin or peg may have a tendency to fall out and consequently lose the fish measurement recording. Additionally, at times of inclement weather, the holes become wet, thus likely decreasing the friction between the pin and the hole, making it easier for the pin to fall out. Furthermore, with all of the pins, it is easy to lose a pin or to drop the pins in the bottom of the boat which decreases the amount of time fishing as the fisherman must pick up all of the pins. The same difficulties arise with U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,547 to Lehr, et. al., another peg and board weight recording invention. Still another known weight tabulation board on the market uses erasable marker in a whiteboard style cordoned into multiple weight tabulation areas for multiple fish. The problem associated with this weight tabulation board is that in inclement weather, if the board gets wet the measurements can wash off.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a weight tabulation board that resists inclement weather or inclement water conditions.
Another object of the invention is to present a quick and efficient system to aide the competitive fisherman and to maximize his time in fishing and retaining the best catches of the competition.
Another object of the current invention is to maintain the fish measurements for longer periods of time while dealing with inclement weather or inclement water conditions which often leads to increased difficulty in retaining tabulations.
A further object of the invention is to maintain a list of measurements that is difficult to erase or change without the application of sufficient force.
A further object of the invention is to provide a weight tabulation board that floats in the event that the board is dropped into the water.
Another object of the invention is to provide a weight tabulation board that retains measurements when the board is transported.
Another object of the invention is to provide a board to record measurements on with the measurements being easily culled with new measurements.
Another object of the invention is to provide a board to record fish measurements on that floats in water.